Thursday, August 27, 2015

Ralph Gracie: Interviews, Techniques, and Training

Among a family known for their hard-nosed toughness and occasional savagery, Ralph Gracie is recognized as one of the most tenacious members of the Gracie clan (see here and here for some details). Grandson of Carlos Gracie Sr., Son of Robson, and brother of Renzo, Ralph was born into jiu jitsu royalty. So, he has unsurprisingly been immersed in the culture of Gracie jiu jitsu since childhood. He is also known as one of the roughest of the bunch--a tenacity that earned him the nickname, The Pitbull. As such, I was surprised and disappointed that he didn't make the Gracie family tree in this recent extended article about the Gracies for Grantland.

This got me wanting to check out whatever interviews, videos, etc., that I could find of the legendary (and even infamous) Gracie--who once dismissed former student B.J. Penn as a "traitor mother fucker" and suggested that training Penn was like "training a snake," and that the best way to "kill a snake is to cut the head off." Granted, Penn was challenging Ralph's brother Renzo to a MMA fight, but those are strong words nonetheless!

In any event, below I have compiled several videos. The first is an interview with Ralph, the next nine are technique videos--which contain some really nice details concerning old school jiu jitsu--and the final video shows Ralph rolling (which gives you a taste for his effortless prowess on the mats). So, watch, learn, and go train!